When Rose Petals Fall
by Blue Crow
Summary: DiasXRena. Just before the ten wise men are defeated Dias is questioning the meaning of his life. Will he allow himself to fall in love with the girl who's always been there for him? Or will he push her away like he has done with every other person? RR
1. Summer afternoons

**Note to disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Star Ocean, The Second Story.**

The sky was a crystal blue, and a few clouds drifted by as if they weren't needed at all. It was about noon, so naturally the sun shone high in the sky, basking everything in a warm glow. A few trees were dotted about the synthetic fields of Central city, and under one laid a certain blue-haired swordsman, casually watching the world around him whilst also attempting to half-heartedly read a book.

The shade provided by the trees created strange lines and curves of shadow running up and down his body, almost as if he were a message carved into the earth itself. A few strands of silver infused sapphire hair blew softly in the wind, as chestnut eyes were hidden behind pale lids and long lashes. He sighed to himself as thoughts of the final battle surfaced once again. There were only a few weeks left until the party would depart for the last time to L'Aqua, and their anxiety was becoming all too obvious. "Why become so concerned?" Dias had thought to himself for the umpteenth time, for he believed the outcome had already been decided, as the 'light' would always vanquish the 'dark'. He only wished that he knew which side he belonged on…  
This line of thought was brought to an abrupt end as the familiar high- pitched annoyance that was Claude's voice pierced the evening's air. Dias gingerly opened one of his eyes, and frowned slightly as he saw who accompanied him.

Rena Lanford was walking beside the blonde, and was laughing loudly at a joke he had just told her. The flirting was so obvious between the two. Dias grimaced slightly and wrinkled the top of his nose as Claude placed a hand on Rena's shoulder. Every action he made towards her stung like a needle under his skin. He swore his eyes must have burnt green for a few seconds as the intensity of his jealousy and hatred towards Claude grew.

Deciding he didn't wish to witness anymore of the giggling and laughing, Dias placed the book on the ground and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. A few uneventful minutes passed, until the subtle noise of the fresh grass being trodden on made him stir from a light sleep. _Screw it_, he thought. _It'll just have to wait till later…_

"Mind if I join you?" He opened his eyes and his heart jumped as he was greeted by that same beautiful smile Rena always wore.

"As you wish" he retorted in his usual monotone voice. The young girl lay back against the tree and looked down to the man who lay at her side. She had always enjoyed spending time with him, even if not a single word was uttered between them. Some things don't have to be spoken aloud to be acknowledged.

"Why the long face?" she asked, her voice full of concern. The comment only darkened his expression.

"Come on Rena, you know me. I'm not exactly a bundle of smiles and sunshine" he replied using the most sarcastic tone he could muster.

"Of course I know you, it's just...there _really_ is something bothering you, isn't there? And don't lie to me, because I know when you're doing that as well!" He frowned, she _could_ always tell when he was lying, yet another of her unique gifts.

"I'm just wondering about the future, when all this mess is over, where will I go, and what will I do?"

"Well your coming back to Arlia with me."

He sat up slowly and let his long blue hair cascade down his broad shoulders. After a few seconds of silence, he finally brought himself to look her in the eye. Her cheeks were covered with tears. More and more were edging their way out of the corners of her eyes and her hands were shaking slightly.

"Th-that was the f-face you pulled t-the day you left us. The d-day you left me." She tried to speak again, but her voice failed her, and only a broken sob escaped her lips. Within a blink of an eye, she had stood up and ran to the Inn as fast as possible. The blow of what had just happened finally sank into Dias as he felt tears sting at his eyes. _She's going to hate me…_

He felt so weak, so dark. He had just hurt the only person left that he cared for, after he had promised himself that he would never hurt her again from that day. He had made Rena Lanford cry, but why did he deserve her tears? He was nobody. He had known her for 14 years, yet she already preferred being around Claude, who she had known for less than a year. Burying his face in his hands, the tears threatening to fall escaped his eyes. After a few minutes he removed his hands, revealing a face covered in tangled masses of silvery hair, and eyes of chestnut enveloped by red. The synthetic planet seemed to stop for a moment, and amongst all the silence and emptiness, the words "I'm sorry" were uttered.

Although no one was around to hear them.


	2. A broken promise

He awoke in the late hours of night. The perfect azure sky had been covered in an obsidian drape. However it was eerie, not one star could be spotted amongst the dark. Remembering how many stars appeared each night on Expel caused him pain. The ground here felt so false, so wrong. A cold win passed, and he drew his cloak around him as a feeble attempt to provide heat.

As he stood up, his legs felt like lead, and his head pounded in pain. Dias didn't want to return to the Inn, as everyone would be against him. Especially the blonde, he'd probably tackle him the minute he stepped through the door. But he felt so bad for what he had done; his heart wouldn't let him stay in that field all night. He slowly made his way towards the Inn, his mind racing to select words of apologies, his heart heavy with regret.

As he pushed the door open, he saw Claude pacing the lobby, his hands in his pockets. Surely enough he turned his head and within a split second, had Dias pinned against the wall. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!" he shouted in the older swordsman's face. Dias' eyes blazed as if a fire had been lit inside the normally calm chestnut. "She's in such a bad way, she came in crying her eyes out, ran up to her room, and locked the door. She hasn't come out at all. You fucking bastard I can't believe you. UNLESS YOU HAVENT NOTICED SHES HAVING A BAD TIME AS IT IS, SHE DOENST NEED YOU MAKING THINGS WORSE!" By the time those last words fell, Dias' pupils had been reduced to pin pricks. He lowered his face so he and Claude met eye-to-eye, and said in a dangerously low and calm voice: "Stay out of her way, stay out of our way" With that he threw Claude to the floor as if he were lighter than a feather.

As he ascended the steep staircases that led to Rena's room, his heartbeat quickened. All he wanted to do was tell her he was sorry for everything, and that if she wished it he would be gone by first light. He finally reached the door and drawing a large breath, knocked and waited. There was no answer. Dias reached for the handle and turned it slowly. To his surprise the door fell open with a small creak. The room was covered in darkness, apart from a small ray of moonlight that crept it's way up the bed, illuminating the small figure who lay curled up upon it. He approached the bed with caution, and made his way towards the window.

There, she lay, tears trickling down her face, holding a wilted chain of daisies that resembled a tiara. _Oh my god, she's kept it all these years, what did I do to deserve her? _Dias sat down on the side of the bed and gently gathered her frail body into his arms. She clung to his shirt as if a monster was going to jump into the room and kidnap him that _very_ moment. He cleared his throat, and in a deep voice said "I am sorry Rena. I'm sorry for everything I have put you through. You mean so much to me, although sometimes I may not show it. If it weren't for you I would stop breathing, because I wouldn't have anything left to live for. I can understand if you hate me, and I promise you I'll be gone by the time everyone wakes up." She shifted slightly in his arms, and wiped away a few tears.

"Dias…on my first night travelling with Claude we stayed at the Inn in Cross. It was very late, and I remember the sky. It was such a deep blue; so familiar I could almost reach out and touch it. Aunt Rachel was at the reception desk and showed us to our rooms, and as I was stepping through the door she held me back. She said that you had stayed here the night prior. As I lay down to sleep, my mind was suddenly engulfed in memories, thoughts, feelings. All about you. Obviously the maids hadn't washed the sheets yet, and I could actually smell you. For the first time in weeks I slept soundly, just like I used to when you stayed at my house. The thought of you watching over me was so comforting. It felt like you were beside me, just like you are now..."


	3. Confessions

"I-I need you Dias, without you I feel so alone". He sighed deeply. "I know you see it as a weakness, but truly, I need you in my life Dias. Of all the people in this world, the one I trust most is you. I've seen the way you look at Claude, but he's not a bad person. You should trust me when I say there's no need for you to hate him so."

"Claude has no place in this conversation Rena," he said in a deadly whisper. "I won't stop hating him any time soon and you just have to accept that fact."

"I just can't stand seeing you with such hatred in your eyes. You're such a kind and caring person-," Dias lowered Rena back onto the bed and sat with his head in his hands.

"I'm not Rena. You're mistaken". She sat up so she was level with him.

"You are Dias. Beneath your tough exterior there's still the boy who used to play with me in the forest and calm me down after I had a nightmare."

"He's been gone for a long time now, Rena." Her blue eyes began to fill with tears once more.

"Do you _know_ what I used to dream about?" he lifted his head from his hands and looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. He _had_ wondered more than once about what had made her wake up screaming when they were younger. "I used to dream about the stars. I'd see their birth, and then watch as they began to form constellations. Slowly slowly the stars grew, some became planets and others grew larger still until eventually they collapsed under their own weight. To watch time pass by with no means of altering it, it-its like a slow torture. I watched the ages of this universe come to pass and yet I did not age a day." She wiped away a few tears from her small face. "I'm 300 million years old Dias. I'm older than Expel itself. My parents are dead. Every Nedian who knew of my existence is dead. I am more alone in this world than you could ever imagine. When I arrived in Arlia all I had was Westa you and Cecille. My mother and your sister are g-gone, and n-now I'm going to lose you too." He wrapped his arms around her, as she could no longer control her sobs.

"I had no idea, Rena," he whispered, stroking her hair. "I can't imagine what it must have been like for you, only 4 years old at the time…" she sniffed quietly.

"But, w-when I'm with you I forget all that. I smile just like any other 17 year old and no one would ever know that I h-hurt inside." He looked down into her bloodshot eyes and smiled weakly.

"I can't give you what you want, what you need Rena. I'm not a saviour or a knight in shining armour. I couldn't even protect my own family from a group of bandits. Claude is the one that can give you what you deserve, Rena. For my sake, let him look after you. I'm so sorry…but I just cant be who you want me to be." Her eyes widened in shock as he stood up and turned to leave.

"Dias! No." She stood up abruptly and ran to the door, slamming it and throwing her small arms out to either side. He lowered his face to hers and whispered

"Please Rena, let me leave. I've caused you enough pain in your life and the time has finally come for me to leave the picture. You and Claude will be happy together and able to build a future. You'll be better off without me here."

"No, STOP LYING TO ME DIAS! YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN SO CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT _I_ NEED AND WHAT _I_ WANT. YOU NEED TO STOP SILENCING YOURSELF.ISN'T IT ABOUT TIME YOU LISTEN TO WHAT _YOU _WANT? And if…" she lowered her head and let her sapphire hair fall over her face. "If you want to leave and never speak to me again I'll understand. But-but first I need to tell you one thing." She took a shuddering breath and held her face up, meeting his chestnut eyes that seemed glazed in a torrent of thought. "I love you." His face twitched ever so slightly and she somehow found the courage to continue. "I've loved you since the day we met and I'll love you till the day I die, even if I never see you again from this day. And now that you know," she stepped aside from the door. "You can leave". There was silence for a few minutes as Dias considered the impact of her words. He loved her, but he knew she deserved only the best and that he wasn't it. What would he do if he lost her? If they never spoke again? Could he live without his 'little sister' by his side? Her blue eyes were watching him with a longing he had never witnessed before. She loved him…

"You realise that if-if we were. Together… It would be difficult. It wouldn't be like in the fairytales" But her face gave an expression which clearly said 'I don't care'. He lowered his face to hers as she placed her hands against his chest. The kiss seemed to last for hours, or perhaps days? As their lips parted Dias fixed Rena with a warm smile. "I love you Rena, with all my heart...and no matter what we'll make this work" She pressed a finger lightly to his lips. "I know"

* * *

A/N: This won't be the last chapter, I still have the fun of writing what happens when they go down to breakfast and Claude finds out...oopsy. Anyway so pleaaaaase review if you like it or hate it !!!!! 


End file.
